


Acme (정상)

by via_ostiense



Series: Tennis no Ojisama 45 [1]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-08-14
Updated: 2004-08-14
Packaged: 2017-10-17 01:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/171199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/via_ostiense/pseuds/via_ostiense
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Defeat is the greatest impetus for reaching brilliance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acme (정상)

Momo was sprawled out on the grass near the main gate. He whistled absentmindedly, horribly butchering Glay’s latest hit. He waited, tearing up bits of grass and piling them up on his shirt. He watched the clouds scud by overhead and amused himself by finding ones shaped like Oishi’s head. And he waited.

Finally, when the grass around him had been denuded to stubble and the clouds had drifted away, Momo heard footsteps. Echizen stomped out of the gates and walked straight past Momo, muttering vehemently under his breath. Actually, it would have been stomping, if his feet hadn’t been dragging like he’d just run fifty laps. His motion more closely resembled falling forward and catching himself by flinging out a foot, right, left, right, left.

“Oi! Echizen!” Momo scrambled up, hastily brushing grass and dirt off his shirt.

“What?” Echizen didn’t halt, and cast the surly reply over his shoulder.

“I’ve been waiting an hour for you! C’mon, I’ll give you a ride home.” Momo hopped onto his bike and easily caught up to Echizen, smiling.

“I’d rather walk.”

“What?” Taken aback, Momo stared at the side of Echizen’s face as he slowly coasted alongside. His friend looked unusually grouchy, with a generous dose of exhaustion mixed in.

“I said, I’d rather wa—” Echizen began impatiently, right as he tripped and fell. His tennis bag landed on his back with a muffled thump, and he didn’t try to push himself back to his feet.

“Right,” Momo sighed, getting down and pulling up the younger boy. “I’ll give you a ride, Echizen,” he repeated, and got back on his bike. Echizen climbed onto the back, as usual, but he leaned against Momo’s back and hung on with his arms around his senpai’s waist, which was unusual. Echizen usually stood up straight, gripping handfuls of Momo’s jacket, refusing to depend on him more than absolutely necessary. Momo occasionally thought that Echizen was only accepting his rides to humour him, although he couldn’t think why Echizen would ever bother to humour anyone. He enjoyed the sensation of his friend’s slim body draped across his back, though. Even if it made steering slightly more difficult, and it was likely only because Echizen was plainly worn out. He navigated around the bumps in the road, careful not to jostle the weight behind him.

“Hey, Echizen, what’s up, anyway, why’re you so tired?” Momo asked. The weight on his back stiffened.

“No reason.”

“Oh, c’mon, I’m giving you a ride home, you dead weight. And I waited an hour for you. Some gratitude,” Momo groused. “The least you can do is talk to me.”

“You didn’t have to wait.” Echizen lifted his head just enough so he wasn’t mumbling into jacket. Hs propped his chin on a shoulder conveniently located right before him and the words hissed past Momo’s ear.

“Hmph. Well, we’re here.” Momo halted in front of the temple complex that Echizen lived in. “Go to bed, would you? You obviously need some rest.”

“You talk too much, Momoshiro-senpai.” Echizen climbed off and stumbled up the steps to his home. “And I don’t need rest, I’m going to have a match.” He didn’t look back. Momo watched the small frame until the door slid shut, then pushed off and pedaled home. “’Have a match’ indeed,” he snorted. “He’ll probably fall over his own racket.”

 

The next day, Momo arrived at practice late; his teacher had made him clean the chalkboards after class for having his head in the clouds when he should have been learning English. He stood next to Kikumaru, who was watching Echizen destroy a second year with surprising ferocity.

“The little one’s burning today,” Kikumaru remarked. He waved a casual hand at a group of sweaty, panting second and third years slumped on the benches. “He’s already worked his way through those.”

“Eh? He was practically dead when I took him home yesterday,” Momo said, surprised. “Wouldn’t tell me why, either.” He watched Echizen, a kinetic bundle of energy topped by a terrifying grimace, framed by the green links of the fence. “Looks better than ever, though.”

“You haven’t heard, Momo?” Kikumaru turned, his face an expression of exaggerated surprise. Kikumaru kept up on all the team gossip and was usually the one responsible for spreading it; it was incomprehensible to him that Momo hadn’t heard the latest news.

“Heard what?”

“Captain and the little one had a private match after practice yesterday,” Kikumaru babbled.

“Eh?” Momo stared. Tezuka rarely played outside of practice and tournaments, and had never had a private match against anyone in the two years Momo had been in Seigaku’s tennis club.

“—Fuji said Oishi said that Captain challenged the little one yesterday and do you know what, Momo?” Kikumaru was fairly bursting with excitement, his wide eyes shining and his arms making expansive gestures. “Captain won, 6 – 2!”

“Captain won?” Momo blinked dumbly. First year gossip aside, this was the first time he’d ever heard of –

“Yeah, the little one lost! First time at Seigaku! I guess that’s why he’s being so hard on his senpais today,” Kikumaru said. As they watched, a fresh third year moved to F court as the exhausted loser collapsed near his comrades in defeat. Echizen grinned fiercely, and the third year gulped and looked as if he was seriously considering forfeiting. “Captain is rotating all the singles players through against the little one today, even the regulars, he announced it at the beginning of practice. Makes me glad I play doubles, nyaa!” He was smiling hugely. “Hey, Momo, you look nervous!”

“Hey! I’m more than a match for him!” Momo said indignantly. It would, perhaps, have been more convincing had his voice not broken. In the court, Echizen slammed a Twist Serve through his opponent’s defense that spun off all the way to the next court.

“Looks like the little one’s found some fighting spirit, eh? Good luck!” Kikumaru laughed and flashed a V-sign at Momo before heading off to Oishi’s side.

Fighting spirit indeed, Momo thought. More like samurai battle rage. Kaidoh stepped onto F court, and Momo grinned as Echizen sent a Buggy Whip Shot flying at him. He gleefully watched as Echizen destroyed the Viper, and noticed that the first year’s topspin and speed seemed faster than ever. His precision was better, too, and his balls were landing just beyond Kaidoh’s reach.

A voice interrupted Momo’s happy thoughts. “Momoshiro, 5 laps for being late.” Tezuka had apparently come over while he’d been horribly fascinated by Echizen’s tennis. He started running. Maybe, if he got out of range quickly enough, Tezuka wouldn’t say—

A hint of glee entered the captain’s harsh voice. “Once you’re done, you’re next against Echizen.”


End file.
